Automatic window-catch.



l. R'. WILLIAMS.

AUTOMATIC WINDOW CATCH. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2o. |914.

vPatented Apms, 1915.

@In uemfCo/c @V/lineman AUTOMATIC WINDOW-CATCH.

Specification ofpLetters Patent.

Patented Apr, 13, 1215..

Application filed July 20, 1914.. Serial No. 852,029.

T0 all 107mm t may concern:

Be it known that I, lun lt. iViLLiAivrs, citizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon,have invented certain new and useful improvements in AutomaticVVindow-Catches, of which the following is a specification. y

y1`his invention relates to automatic window catches and has as itsprimary object to provide a device of this character adapted tooperatively engage the upper and lower sashes of a window to maintaineach of said sashes in closed position, and which will also be adaptedto operatively engage each of said sashes to maintain the sashes invarious vertically adjusted positions Within the window opening Theinvention has as a further object to provide a device of this characterwherein the mechanism employed to engage each sash will operate toengage the sash independently of the other, and wherein each of saidmechanisms may be simultaneously moved to inoperative position. And astill further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will be simple in construction and wherein the workingparts thereof may be readily dismounted to permit of repair.

1With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and thenspecifically pointed out in the lclaims which are attached to and form apart of this application. K

ln the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation showing myimproved catch applied within a window casing, the window Casin@ beingshown partly broken away and certain portions thereof, being illustratedin section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view taken on the line 2w2 of Fig. l,and illustrating the catch members moved to operative position. Fig. 3is a horizontal sectional view particularly illustrating the manner inwhich the catch members are mounted, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveview showing one ofthe links employed to operatively connect the catchmembers with the operating rod therefor.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings, by the samereference characters. 1

For convenience, I have illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, myimproved catch-V applied, and wherein the numeral 10 designates a windowcasing in which is slidably mounted, as will be readily understood, theupper and lower sashes l1 and 12.

More particularly, said catch includes a frame or supporting member 13which is preferably formed from a strip of suitable sheet metal and issubstantially rectangular as shown, one side member 14C of the framebeing preferably detachably secured to the body portion thereof in anysuitable manner, as by bolts 15. Extending between the side, portions ofthe frame and in substantial parallel relation to the end portionsthereof, is an intermediate supporting strip 16, which is detachablyconnected in any suitable manner, at its ends, with the side portions ofthe frame. Preferably, the supporting strip 16 is provided, at its ends,

Vwith tongues 17, which lit within suitable apertures formed in saidside portions.

rlhe frame 13 is positioned within one side portion of the windowcasing, asbest shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to bear between theadjacent inner face of the side portion 18 of said casing and acontiguous face of the vertically arranged support 19, the said framebeing arranged medially of and in substantial alineinent with theoverlapping portions of the upper and lower rails of the upper and lowersashes 11 and 12. Mounted upon said frame to operatively engage saidsashes, are the laterally spaced and horizontally arranged catchmembers, each of which is indicated as a whole at 20. rl`he said catchmembers each include a terminal bolt 21, which may be formed of`suitable metal and which is preferably cylindrical throughout thegreater portion of its length and is terminally enlarged at one end, toprovide a head 22. The said bolts 2.1 are slidably mounted withinsuitable apertures formed in one end portion of the frame 13 with theheads thereof, confronting the inner face of said side portion, andscrew threaded at one end, into each of said heads 22, is a connectingrod 23, the said rods, adjacent their opposite extremities beingslidably mounted within suitableaperturesformed in the supporting strip16. At their rear extremities, Y

each of the rods 23 is bifurcated to provide a yoke 24, to each of whichis pivotally connected at one end, by a suitable pin 25, a link 26.

Mounted for rotation upon the side inembers;Y "Formed on the rod 27,adjacent oneV endthereof, is a collar 28, disposed to contact with theadjacent inner face of the side member 14 of the frame to thus maintainthe operatingA rod in position.

' Extending radiallyfrom the operating rod 27 and arranged vinsubstantial alinement j withthe links 26, are crank arms29,'each-of j.the operating rod 27.

which is provided adjacent its free yextremity, with a 'terminal-pivotpin `or arm 30 ar# 'ranged in substantially l Adjacent theirV innerextremities, each of 'thelinks 26 is laterally enlarged as shown at 31and formed in eachjof said laterally enlarged portions, is alongitudinally extend- J ing slot v32, said' slots being adapted to refceivethe pivot pins'of the crank arms 29.

12, asv will'be presently described, are helical Y y, springs33,*.said'springs being each arranged 18ct the window Y casing and intothe Y yThe bolts 21 are thus operatively connected 'fnorinally maintainsaid bolts projected toy with the operating rod 27, and arranged tooperativelyengage the window sashes 11 and toA encircleo'neof theconnecting rods 23,

the adjacent bolt andtheY supporting strip yTheV bolts 21 vare. of suchlength as to "project,'at their free extremities, through suitable'apertures formed in the side portion j path of thek upperand lowersashes 11 and 12, and

i formed "in the adjacent edgeslof the. side *a I vmembersof saidsashes, are a series of longi- 40 recesses, 34,'the `recesses of eachsash being tudinally 'spaced and transverselyextending adapted toreceivethe free end of the adjavcent bolt 21. It/will be noted that the bolts.

21 will'normally engage said sashes, and in aorderl to' facilitate themoving' of said bolts' to-Iiinoperative position, Iprovide the operatingrod 27 ,v upon its outer free end, with a terminalv .knob'35,-saidknob'being preferablyfscrewl threaded upon the operating rod,

. Vunderstoodfthat the operating fr'od 27, is'of lso that itmayloe-readily detached, it being such length as to project through the adjastood. 'The bolts -2-1'being normally proj y "cent outer faceof thewindow casing 10,- so' that free access-may be had to the knob 35.y

of my improved catch will be readily under.-

@jectedtol engageV the: sash'` 11, as' above'def scribed, towithdrawsaid bolts against the f tension of the springs'33, the operating rod Y27 visrc'itated bythe knob 35, to cause the c'rankarms 29 to be turnedrearwardly, when the pins l30 will move to engage within the ,j adjacentextremities of the sl'ots'32 of the links-26,'-to thus move the linksrearwardly,

parallel relation to" 'y lower sash in various adjusted open posimyinvention, since certain types of conventional forms of catches as nowin common use, while being adapted to maintain the tions, are notadapted to similarly engage the upper sash. For a like purpose, it is tobe noted that, if desired, when the lower sash is raised so that any onefrom the exterior of the window could reach the operating knob 35 toeiiect the release of the sashes, and consequently entirely open thewindow, the knob 35 may be removed, making it at least, very diiiicult,if not practically impcssible, to turn the operating rod 27 to edectsuch result, Itis also desired to ldirect attention to the factv that inthe normal position of the operating rod 27 as and .being interposedbetween the head 22 of fshown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the

catch members are capable of movement to operatively engage the sashes11 and 12 independently of each other. Thus, after the operating rod 27has been turned, to withdraw the bolts 21, and the sashes 11 and 12 aremoved to such position that neither of the bolts will coincide with oneof the recesses 34, but will, upon the release of the operatingro'd,bear upon the adjacent edges of the Vside members of the sashes,each of said bolts will drop into the next adjacent recess upon the.movement of the contiguous sash, independently of the other, through theaction of the springs 33, this resultY being yhad through the provisionof the slots 32 in which thepins 30 engage. It will be noted lthat inorder to withdraw the bolts 21, the pins 30 must be moved t0 the outerextremities of said slots, and that normally, said pins aredisposedmedially thereof, so thatthe links 26 will slide upon said pinsindependently of the operating rod A j l* 27 and consequently permit thebolts 21 to From the above description, the operationV independentlyengage the upper and lower sashes as 'abovedescribed. 1

Preferably, the outer side member 14 of the frame 13 is arranged flushwith the inner edge of the window casing, as shown in Fig. 2 of the.drawings, and it will be observed that by removing the side member 14,the working parts of the catch members may be entirelyremoved from theframe. Thus, the

bolts 15 kmay 'be withdrawn to displace the member 14, andvthe'supporting strip 16 and the operating rod 27, may then be removed,the bolts 21 being first Withdrawn through the adjacent side member ofthe :trame 13. This is also an important feature of my invention, sinceit permits of ready access to the catch members, in case the catch doesnot operate properly, and also permits of ready repair in case ofbreakage.

lt Will therefore be seen that I provide a very simple and etlicientconstruction for the purpose set forth wherein the upper and lowersashes of a Window may be maintained in closed position and may each bemaintained in various adjusted open positions. vlt Will further be seenthat the catch members will normally automatically engage each of thewindow sashes, and that upon the release of the operating rod for saidcatch members, that each thereof Will move to engage the adjacent sashindependently of the other.

Having thus described my invention, What l claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is l. A device of the character described including asupporting frame, a supporting strip carried thereby, bolts slidablymount-V ed upon the frame and supported by said strip, said bolts beingadapted to engage a window casing and being provided with heads formingshoulders arranged to limit the bolts in their movement upon the framein one direction, an operating rod mounted for rotation upon the frame,crank arms formed on said operating rod, links pivotally connected tosaid connecting rods, the

said links being slotted adjacent one eXtrem ity, pins arranged uponsaid crank arms and engaging in said slots, the links being mounted forsliding movement upon said pins, and springs surrounding the connectingrods and interposed between the heads of the bolts and said supportingstrip, said springs being disposed to normally main` tain the shouldersformed by the heads of the bolts in engagement with the adjacent portionof the supporting frame.

2. A device of the character described including a support, resilientlyactuated bolts carried thereby and normally disposed to engage a Windowsash, a rotatably mounted operating rod carried by the support, andconnecting` means operatively and slidably connected to said rod andhaving operative connection With the bolts.

3. A device of the character described including a supporting frame,bolts slidably mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage a Windowcasing, an operating rod mounted for rotation upon the frame, linkshaving slidable connection with said rod and being operatively connectedto said bolts, and resilient means engaging the bolts for normallymaintaining the said bolts in engagement with the Window casing.

ln testimony whereof l aiiiX my signature in presence of tvvo Witnesses.

IRA R. WILLAMS.

Witnesses FRED THOMPSON, HANS FRANDSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

